Button-detaching tool.



T. A. MEITZ.

BUTTON DETAGHING TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30. 1914.

1,125,366, Patented Jan. 19, 191 5.

9 WITJV'ESSES: INVENTOR.

Theodor? A-Ne/z'z- Ma M 1 ATTORNEY.

THE NORRIS PETERS co.. PHOTO-LITHQ, \VASHINGTON, D

THEODORE A. MEITZ, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BUTTON-DETACHING TOOL.

Application filed March 30, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THEODORE A. Mnrrz,citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Button-DetachingTools, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in button detaching tools; andit consists in the novel features of construction more fully set forthin the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan of the tool as applied to ashoe-upper fastened by means of buttons; Fig. 2 is a side elevationthereof showing its application to the button of a shoe-upper, thelatter being shown in section; Fig. 3 is a top plan illustrating theposition assumed by the blade and parts controlling the same, for apartly closed position of the handle-levers, or that shown by the dottedposition of the upper lever in Fig. 2, a part of the controlling springfor the handle-levers being broken away; Fig. 4 is across-sectionaldetail on the line 44 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is alongitudinal sectional detail on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

The present improvement is directed to tools specially intended to severbuttons from shoe-uppers when occasions arise to remove the buttons fromthe shoe either for purpose of repair, or-where it is intended to cutoff the buttons permanently for use in connection with a new shoe. Thetool however is not restricted in its application to the specificpurpose designated, but may be used for cutting off buttons fromgarments such as coats, vests, trousers, shirt waists, and the like, orwherever buttons or equivalent devices are sewed on to a fabric for anypurpose whatsoever.

, The object of the invention is to construct a tool which will not onlysever the securing thread by which the button is held to the fabric, butwhich will simultaneously pull the button away from the fabric duringthe severing of the thread.

A further object is to provide a tool which is simple, effective, cheap,durable, and one possessing further and other advantages better apparentfrom a detailed description of the invention, which is as follows:

Referring to the drawings, 1, 2, represent two lever-handles, the member2 belng Specification of Letters Patent.

, lever 2, the free The pivotal pin it of Patented J an. 119, 1915.Serial No. 828,264.

about a pivotal pin lugs or cars 4, 4., l and through an 2 registeringwith which receive the hinged to the member 1 3 passed through theformed on the member opening in the member the openings of the ears pin.To bring the outer faces of the ears flush with the corresponding sidefaces of the lever 2, the latter has formed suitable recesses r on thesides of a depth to receive the ears, as shown. The lever 1 is providedbeyond the ears 4, 4, with an extension or short leverarm in the shapeof a .jaw 1, said jaw having a central recess or open slit a whose sidesconverge inwardly or toward the base of the slit. The lever 2 isprovided with a cooperating jaw 2 terminating at its free end beyond thefree end ofthe jaw 1, and being likewise provided with a correspondingopen slit or recess a. It is obvious-that a closing movement of thelevers 1, 2, is attended with a corresponding opening movement orseparation of the jaws, the levers being normally held in an open, and

the jaws in a closed, position by a flexed spring 5 whose fixed end issecured to the end of the spring slidably bearing against the oppositeinner face of the .lever 1, a construction very common in pliers, tongs,and the like.

The pivotal pin 3 is spaced a suitable distance from the inner therebeing free to play through said space, a reciprocating link 6 which isguided in its movements by a strap or staple 7 secured to the lever land spanning the link at an intermediate point, the rear end of the linkbeing pivotally coupled in any suitable manner to the adjacent end ofthe spring 5. the specific connection here employed being a strap 8secured to the link and spanning the reduced terminal or toe 5' at thefree end of the spring, said toe being received by an opening 0 in-thelink, beneath the staple 8. Any other equivalent pivotal connection willhowever answer the purpose. The link 6 extends forward or outward to apoint beyond the axis of the pivot 3, the outer end of the link beingpivotally coupled to an oscillating blade or cutter 9, the latter beingitself pivotally secured to the lever 1 at the base of the jaw 1, to oneside of the slit a, and forward of one of the ears 4:. the blade passesthrough the basal lobe 9 with which the blade isprovided, the blade 9proper and its lobe 9 constituting ineifect a bent or face of the lever1,

angle-lever at the convergence of whose legs the link 6 may be said tobe pivoted. In other words, the link 6 is pivotally coupled to the bladeat a point which is eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the blade.Inits oscillations, the blade sweeps across the jaw l and across theslit a of said jaw, the side of the slit which the blade approaches inits sweep toward and across the slit serving as a shearing edge withwhich the edge of theblade cooperates in the manner of a pair ofscissors or blades of a pair of shears. Normally, the blade 9' projectsoutwardly from between the sides of the jaws, the aw 2 clearing theblade but contacting with the jaw 1 beyondthe blade, the free end of thejaw 1 being feathered or tapered so as to merge more or less with theadjacent face of the overlapping jaw 2', it being understood that whenthe are closed, the slits a, a, form virtually a single slit (both slitsbeing disposed in the common plane of oscillation of the longitudinalcenters of the le vers and their jaws).

In its practical. ap lication, the tool is herein shown in connectionwith a button shoe-upper. The upperis represented by S 'and the buttonsby b, the thread by which the button is secured ed the shoe beingindicated by the reference letter t. Should it be desired to remove orcut 6 a button, the operator passes the cles'e'd aws between the button6 and the shoe-upper S, the connecting thread t being received by theregistering slits a, a, By then closing the levers 1, 2, the link 6 willbe pushed outwardly and being pivoted eccentrically to the blade 9, itwill oscillate the latter acress the slits a, a, (in the plane of theinner face of the jaw 1'), thereby severing the threads 25. At the sametime the jaw 1' 2', will diverge or spread apart, in which movement thebutton 7) will be, pulled away from the shoe S by the jaw 2'. It followstherefore that at the same time the blade cuts the thread (this beingpossible by reason of the opening movement of the 1," a tension or pullis exerted on the button by the jaw 2. The blade 9 oscillates in a planetransverse to the plane of oscillation. of the blades 1, 2,. and theirjaws 1', 9 making it possible for the blade to swing across the slit a,a, while thejaws are parting, the parting movement. of the jaws in turnpullingonthe button and hence assisting, the knife in severing thethread. The overlapping end of the jaw Z is first passed un der thebutton, after which both ja wsl, 2, are readily in'sertible between thebutton and thefabric to which it is sewed, the feathered edge of the jaw1 making the insertion easy. After ene. button is? severed, the leversare released, whereupon-the 5 expands or opens the 1evers 1, tonorrfnalposition (bringing the jaws l, 2 together) at the same time drawing thelink 6 inwardly, the latter swinging the blade 9 outwardly, thusrestoring the parts to their original position. The tool is now ready tooperate on another button or buttons. By means of the present tooltherefore, the button or other device or formation may be cut off, theblade severing the thread, and the jaws pulling the button so as toassist the blade in its operation. The draft on the button of courseexerts a pull on the thread, making it easier for the blade to cut thesame.

The tool may of course be altered in many details without departing fromthe nature or spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, claim is:

LA tool comprising a pair of leverhandles and jaws disposed respectivelyon opposite sides of a fixed aXis of oscillation, a blade movable acrossone of the jaws, and

what I means for actuating said blade by an oscillation of the handlesin agiven direction.

2. A tool comprising a pair of lever-handles' and jaws disposedrespectively on" oppositesides of a common axis of oscillation, a blademounted to oscillate between the jaws and in a direction across thejaws, and

means interposed between said blade and handles for actuating saidbladewith an oscillation of the handles in a given direction.

3. A tool comprising a pair of lever-handles and jaws disposedrespectively on op-- positesides of a common of oscillation, a blademounted between the jaws and oscillatabl'e in a plane transverse to thegen eral plane of oscillation of the handles and jaws aforesaid, thejaws being provided with reg'istering recesses, and connections betweenthe blade and handles for actuating the former by an oscillation of thelatter.

fl. A tool comprising a pair of lever-handles and jaws disposedrespectively on opposite sides of a common axis of oscillation. a blademounted between the jaws and osoillatable across the jaws in a planetransverse to the plane of oscillation of the han-r end pivotallysecured" dles. a link having one to the blade at a point eccentric tothe axis of oscillation of the blade, and means connecting theoppositeend of the link to one of the handles, as set forth.

5. A tool coinprising a pair of lever-handles and jaws disposedrespectively on opposite sides of a common aXis of oscillation, thehandles being spaced apart opposite said axis, the jaws being providedwith open registering slits, a blade pivoted to one of the. jaws andbetween the jaws and oscillatable across theslit's in a plane transverseto the general plane of oscillation of the handles, a reciprocating linkmounted on the handle carrying the blade and pivotally secured to theblade at a point removed from the axis of oscillation of the latter, thelink being free to pass through the space between the handles oppositethe axis of oscillation of the latter, and a flexed spring having oneend fixed to the opposite handle, the opposite end of the spring beingflexibly secured to the adjacent end of the link, as set forth.

6. A button detacher comprising a pair of lever-handles terminating injaws provided with registering open slits, a pair of lugs or ears oneone of the handles at the base of the jaw thereof, the opposite handlebeing mounted between the ears and spaced from the first handle, apivotal pin for securing the handles, a suitable blade pivotally mountedbetween the jaws and secured to the handle carrying the cars at a pointadjacent to one of the ears, the blade normally. projecting laterallyfrom between the jaws for the closed position of the jaws, areciprocating link mounted on the handle carrying the ears and passingbetween the ears and through the space between the jaws opposite thepivotal pin aforesaid, and hav- Copies of this patent may be,obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing the ing its outer end coupledpivotally to the blade at a point removed from the axis of the blade,the latter oscillating in a plane transverse to the plane of oscillationof the handles, and a flexed spring having one end fixed to the handleopposite the one carrying the link, the opposite end of the spring beingflexibly secured to the adjacent end of the link, the parts operatingsubstantially as, and for the purpose set forth.

7. A tool comprising a pair of lever-handles and jaws disposedrespectively on opposite sides of a common axis of oscillation, a blademounted to oscillate between the jaws in a direction across the jaws andtransverse to the general plane of oscillation of the handles and jaws,and means for ac tuating said blade from the handles.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE A. MEITZ.

Witnesses:

EMIL STAREK, J 0s. A. MICHEL.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

